Heidi Kasama said she would focus on ending the Democratic supermajority in the Assembly rather than aiming for a seat in Washington. Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo's veto power would be significantly diminished in the next legislative session if Republicans are a superminority both in the Assembly and in the Senate, where Democrats are one seat shy of the override margin.

“I could not imagine myself in Washington, DC trying to fix Congress if Governor Lombardo faced veto-proof majorities in both chambers at home in Nevada," Kasama said in a statement. "Any such victory would be a hollow one.”

The surprise decision leaves conservative policy analyst Drew Johnson, who lost a race for the Clark County Commission by 336 votes, and former state Sen. Elizabeth Helgelien as the two Republicans vying to unseat Democratic U.S. Rep. Susie Lee, who was reelected last year by 4 percentage points over Republican April Becker. Both Johnson and Helgelien had raised significantly less money than Kasama.

The 3rd Congressional District, which includes parts of Las Vegas, Henderson, Boulder City and unincorporated Clark County, has long been considered Nevada's most competitive. Democrats have a slight edge in active registered voters, though independents make up the largest voting bloc in the district.

Kasama said in the statement that the decision to defend her Assembly seat came after discussions with both Lombardo and her family. Lombardo endorsed her moments after she announced that she would again campaign in the state's 2nd Assembly District.

Assemblywoman Daniele Monroe-Moreno, who is chair of the Nevada State Democratic Party, said in a statement that the move “makes it clear how worried extreme Republicans are about the strength of Susie Lee’s campaign.”

Kasama will face off in her Assembly primary against Clark County GOP Chair Jesse Law, who was indicted over his role as a "fake elector" for then-President Donald Trump following the 2020 election. He announced his candidacy last month, hours before he was indicted by the state attorney general.

Law, who has pleaded not guilty, faces felony charges that would bring between one and four or five years in prison, respectively.

That's causing confusion among some voters who are wondering why Donald Trump isn't on their sample ballot.

Here's why. Democrats will vote for a candidate during the primary on Feb. 6.  The winner will get Nevada's delegates.

The state will also hold a Republican primary that day. But the state Republican Party says anyone who participates in that GOP primary won't be eligible for any delegates. Those delegates will be awarded during the Republican Party's separate party-run caucus on Feb. 8.

Former President Trump is registered for the caucus along with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and businessman and pastor Ryan Binkley. The candidate list was released by the Nevada Republican Party on Oct. 17.

"All serious candidates are participating in the First in the West Caucus, as it is the only contest under party rules that allows candidates to earn delegates to the Republican National Convention," according to a party statement.

Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and former Vice President Mike Pence are among the candidates who have chosen to compete in the primary -- even though they won't get delegates if they win.

The winner of the caucus will be the Nevada Republican nominee.

Adding to the confusion is Trump's battle with Colorado officials over that state's move to exclude him from the primary ballot. In Nevada, he doesn't want to be on the primary ballot.

Caucuses are run by political parties, not the state. People have to publicly declare who is getting their vote. The Nevada Secretary of State’s Office was sued by state Republicans who wanted to head off the primary, but both will proceed.

Francisco Aguilar, Nevada's Secretary of State, said that confidentiality of a primary improves the process, and people are already familiar with elections — even though caucuses have been a part of Nevada politics for years.

Gov. Joe Lombardo said the state party should just stick to the primary. He said it's unacceptable for voters.

But the state party, led by chairman Michael McDonald, didn't bend. McDonald is currently under indictment for his role as a "fake elector" in Nevada, along with five other Republicans. All six pleaded not guilty in December.

Cortez Masto was on the floor of the U.S. Senate when armed protesters breached the building. The senator was about to give a speech about the validity of the election.

Three years later, the Nevada senator, who voters re-elected in 2022, said democracy remains on the minds of Americans.

"That played out in my re-election, that's one of the reasons why I got re-elected and it wasn't just Democrats it was just people, Americans," Cortez Masto said. "I don't care if you're Democrat, Republican, Independent, man, woman, it was this visceral emotion that people have about that and they want to protect, rightfully so, our democracy."

After the Capitol breach, Cortez Masto shared photos of the aftermath, showing her disheveled and looted office.

The events of Jan. 6 led to former President Donald Trump's second impeachment. Cortez Masto and seven Republicans voted Trump guilty.

Six Nevada Republicans who submitted fake electoral certificates claiming Trump won the 2020 election have pleaded not guilty to the state charges filed against them.

Late last year, a Clark County grand jury indicted the group on charges of offering a false instrument for filing and uttering a forged instrument, stemming from the submission of the documents in 2020. Both charges are felonies.

The deaf community says Assembly Bill 161 will be very helpful. At the request of a driver, the DMV can place a flag on that person's license plate to indicate the driver's communication needs.

Additional laws include increased fines for tobacco sales to minors. The first violation starts at $2,500 and increases to $10,000 by the fourth violation.

Another law focuses on food delivery robots creating regulations that will limit their size to less than 150 pounds with a maximum speed of 10 miles per hour. They must also carry liability insurance.

Here is a link to all of the new Nevada laws.

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Ben Kieckhefer served for 11 years in the Nevada Senate before he was appointed to the Nevada Gaming Commission. He left that role a year ago to become Lombardo's chief of staff.

Ryan Cherry will take over as the new chief of staff on Jan. 17. He previously served as chief of staff to Lt. Gov. Mark Hutchison and rural director for U.S. Sen. Dean Heller. He has worked as a political consultant for the past six years.

"I'm incredibly thankful for all the work Ben put in to making this first year a success," Lombardo said. "Ben accomplished everything I asked of him as I transitioned into the office of Governor, and his leadership during the 2023 Legislative Session was critical in our many successes. My office and state government are in great shape heading into the next phase of the administration, and I'm grateful for all of Ben's efforts to make that happen.”

Cherry has spent the past six years as a consultant, working extensively throughout Nevada and other western states on natural resources, mining, and energy issues, according to the Governor's Office.

"Ryan's experience inside and outside of government makes him an ideal fit as my next Chief of Staff," Lombardo said. "He has worked with the Legislature, understands the structure of state government, and he will be able to work on the diverse policy subjects that will cross his desk. I'm grateful for Ryan's willingness to take on this new role."

According to a White House news release, Harris will travel to Las Vegas on Jan. 3 to deliver remarks and meet with hospitality workers in support of their rights to collectively bargain. She plans to share in the celebration of the Culinary Union's success in getting new contracts with several Las Vegas hotels which included historic increases in wages and workplace safety.

Vice President Harris plans to travel with the Second Gentleman. This is her 9th visit to Nevada since taking office.

Nevada GOP Chairman Michael McDonald, Jesse Law, Jim DeGraffenreid, Durward "James" Hindle III, Shawn Meehan and Eileen Rice all appeared remotely for their initial arraignments.

Earlier this month, a Clark County grand jury indicted the group on charges of offering a false instrument for filing and uttering a forged instrument, stemming from the submission of the documents in 2020. Both charges are felonies.

Judge Mary Kay Holthus scheduled a trial for March.

The Nevada Republican Party’s six electors signed paperwork signaling their support for Trump in a symbolic ceremony devoid of any legal merit and coinciding with the official state-sanctioned tally on Dec. 14, 2020.

That same day as the Republican elector ceremony, then-Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske, a Republican, oversaw the state-sanctioned electoral ceremony where Nevada Democrats’ electors signed certificates, sending them to Washington. In presidential elections, voters actually vote for party electors and not a presidential candidate.

As the 8 News Now Investigators reported in December 2021, the certificate sent by Nevada Republicans and received by the National Archives looks much different than the official state-sealed one and reads, “We, the undersigned, being the duly elected and qualified electors for president and vice president of the United States of America from the State of Nevada, do hereby certify six electoral votes for Trump.”

Upon receiving the fake electoral votes from the Nevada GOP, the U.S. Senate Parliamentarian noted the document contained “no seal of the state” and “no evidence votes were delivered by the executive of the state for signature by electors,” the committee’s final report said.

The purpose of the documents was to force Congress to decide the presidential election, according to people whom the Jan. 6 committee interviewed. A legal advisor to the Trump campaign, Kenneth Chesebro, emailed DeGraffenreid about the plan, the committee found.

In a statement after the document signing, McDonald said the party’s electors convened in Carson City due to ongoing legal battles seeking to overturn the election results. At that point in mid-December 2020, no legal case remained open in Nevada.

Grand jury transcripts reveal Chesebro, who was charged with partaking in similar schemes in other states, agreed to testify to the Clark County grand jury to avoid prosecution in Nevada.

Even though Nevada Republicans had exhausted all legal remedies in Nevada by the Dec. 14, 2020, signing date, Chesebro said the intent was to send documents to Washington in case other remedies appeared before Jan. 6, transcripts said.

"Because the whole point of having alternate electors is that under federal law we have to send in the votes three weeks before the opening counted," Chesebro said about the litigation. "And because election day was early November, you know, this is complicated litigation. I mean, you're lucky if you can finish it in two months."

Gov. Joe Lombardo vetoed a bill (Senate Bill 133) approved during the 2023 Nevada Legislature that would have established penalties for the fake electors’ actions. Lombardo defended the sanctity of elections, but said the penalties in the bill were out of scale.

While testifying in favor of the bill before the Assembly Committee on Legislative Operations and Elections, Democratic Attorney General Aaron Ford said no Nevada law allowed him to take possible action.

No widespread voter fraud was ever discovered in Nevada. The state supreme court denied the Trump campaign’s request to overturn the state’s election results and proclaim the then-president the winner. Biden won Nevada by more than 33,000 votes, a result the court certified that November. Several Republicans, including Cegavske and then-Attorney General William Barr, said there was no evidence of any widespread fraud.

The Jan. 6 committee interviewed both McDonald and Republican elector Jim DeGraffenreid. Both men invoked their Fifth Amendment rights repeatedly — McDonald more than 200 times. Neither has returned repeated requests for comment.

The Nevada GOP repeatedly denied requests from 8 News Now to review their evidence throughout the fall of 2020. At a news conference on Nov. 5, 2020, where surrogates from the Trump campaign announced a federal lawsuit, speakers told reporters to find the evidence for themselves. That lawsuit was later dropped. During the sole hearing in that case, a lawyer provided no evidence of fraud and did not verbally bring up any evidence to the federal judge.

A party spokesperson did not immediately respond to comment on Monday's hearing.

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